Worcester manager candidates down to 3

Monday

Aug 25, 2014 at 11:22 PMAug 25, 2014 at 11:25 PM

By Nick Kotsopoulos TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — The three finalists for the city manager's job feature a local candidate, a former town manager from New Mexico and an executive consultant in the private sector who is looking to get back into municipal management.

After deliberating in executive session for nearly two hours, the City Council Municipal Operations Committee and Mayor Joseph M. Petty Monday announced that the field for the city manager's job has been trimmed to three finalists.

They are:

•Peter Graczykowski of Edgartown, an executive consultant with Guidepoint Global Advisors of New York.

He had previously served as city manager of East Providence, R.I. from 2011-2013. Since leaving East Providence, he has worked for Guidepoint Global Advisors doing consulting and research for corporations and institutional investment firms globally.

Earlier this year, Mr. Graczykowski was a finalist for the Lowell city manager's job.

Prior to his stint as city manager in East Providence, Mr. Graczykowski was assistant town manager/human resources director in Vernon, Conn. for two years (2009-2011) and he was director of administrative services in the city of Springfield's Department of Public Works for two years (2007-2009).

•David M. Moore of Worcester. He has served as city solicitor since 1993 and has been with the city since 1982.

His first job with the city was parking administrator, a position he held until March 1985. He then moved to the Law Department where he served as assistant city solicitor from 1985 through 1993.

He has served as the city's chief lawyer during the tenures of four different city managers. He served as acting city manager for a few days between the tenures of Thomas R. Hoover and Michael V. O'Brien, and also served in that capacity on occasion when they were on vacation.

Mr. Moore was the only local candidate among the five semifinalists who were interviewed for the city manager's job by the Municipal Operations Committee and the mayor.

•Oscar S. Rodriguez, former town manager of Taos, N.M.

Mr. Rodriguez was town manager of Taos from May 2012 until this past March, when the town council replaced both him and the town attorney just six months after he received a very favorable job review by the council.

He has also served as assistant city manager of Del Rio, Texas (1989-1992), and assistant city manager of Austin, Texas (1992-1996).

Before becoming town manager in Taos, Mr. Rodriguez worked as an independent consultant, executive director of the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission and he held government positions for the District of Columbia.

District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri, chairman of the Municipal Operations Committee, said each of the three finalists was unanimously recommended by the three-member committee and the mayor.

He said the committee and the mayor had in-depth discussions about each of the five semifinalists during the executive session before reaching a consensus on the three finalists.

"We're very please with the finalists that we have," Mr. Palmieri said.

Mr. Petty, meanwhile, said the City Council will have for its consideration three candidates with diverse backgrounds. He pointed out they have experience in large cities and small towns.

He said the three finalists will be introduced to the public during a "community day" to be held on Sept. 10.

At that time, the three finalists will be able to meet city department heads, as well as local business and community leaders. They will also be given a tour of the city and there will also be a "meet-and-greet" for the public.

The mayor said the three finalists will then be interviewed by the entire City Council in public session on Sept. 11. The interviews will begin at 3:30 p.m. that day and last about 75 minutes each.

After the interviews are completed, the City Council will then vote to hire a new city manager.

The council is looking to hire a successor to City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., whose nine-month contract with the city expires Oct. 3.

Mr. Augustus was hired by the previous council to succeed Mr. O'Brien, who stepped down as city manager on Jan. 5 to take a job in the private sector.

Mr. Augustus' appointment was intended to give the council time to conduct a nationwide search for the long-term appointment.

He did not apply for the long-term appointment, though several city councilors had hoped he would and even went so far as to encourage him to do so.

The manager plans on returning to the College of the Holy Cross after his contract expires and assume his old job as its director of government and community relations.

District 3 Councilor George Jr. Russell and District 1 Councilor Tony Economou, both members of the Municipal Operations Committee said the search process has worked well and they look forward to the final interviews.

"They are very qualified individuals and can lead this city to the next level," Mr. Economou said.

Councilor-at-Large Frederick C. Rushton praised the work done by the committee and the mayor.

He said the fact that they took nearly two hours to deliberate on the candidates behind closed doors shows that they took their responsibilities very seriously.

After having Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Augustus as city managers, he said the council will be looking for a "five-star manager" who can follow suit.

He said the expectations will be high for the finalists and he is looking forward to the interviews to see if they can meet those expectations.

"Maybe when we have the public interviews I will see them in a different light," he said.

Contact Nick Kotsopoulos at nicholas.kotsopoulos@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @NCKotsopoulos

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